By Mohsin Abdullah

Umno (in 1946) or Umno Baru (in 1988) began as a party for the Malays and Malays only, obviously as its name suggests – United Malays National Organization.

Funny for a party which takes pride in fighting for the so-called Malay agenda, it's preferred choice is a name with the English abbreviation instead of Perkembar for Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Bersatu!

In 1991, the party amended its constitution to accommodate non-Muslim bumiputras. This was when Umno spread its wings to Sabah, and the move to open up to non-Muslim bumiputras was to facilitate its foray into the state after a foul up with PBS, its partner then in BN.

Ever since Umno's membership comprises of Muslim Malays and non-Muslim bumiputras like Kadazandusun, Murut, Rungus and other ethnic groups, non-Muslim bumis are not associate members though, and hence, enjoy full membership status.

PAS or Parti Islam Se-Malaysia is for Muslims only. To be precise, Malay Muslims. Until now I cannot understand why the party has not made serious efforts to woo non-Malay Muslims to be party members, like Chinese Muslims and in particular Indian Muslims who are sizable in numbers. Perhaps Indian Muslims felt "ignored" or "neglected" that they saw the need to form a party of their own, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress or Kimma.

Instead, PAS opted to create what is called PAS Supporters Club comprising non-Malays/non-Muslims. But the non-Malays/non-Muslims in the club are associate members and therefore cannot vote in party elections. What more contest party posts. In short, they do not enjoy the "benefits" of full membership. No wonder associate members are often labeled "second class citizens".

Over the years there have been talks of the PAS Supporters Club be upgraded to become a wing in the party, or "dewan" (as wings are called in PAS) on the same level of PAS' Dewan Ulamak, Dewan Pemuda and so on. Nothing has come out of it until now, though.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia or simply Bersatu is a nationalist party with a predominantly Malay/Muslim membership although it is open — as its name tells us — to bumiputra, Muslim or non-Muslim communities, pretty much like Umno. But unlike Umno, the party has its presence not only in Sabah, but Sarawak as well.

Now the party is mooting a non-Malay chapter for a multiracial outlook. A special task force has been formed to look into the formation process.

So, as there are no details, we will just have to wait for what the task force will come up with in order to know the structure of the chapter and all the nitty gritty.

But, if I may ask, why a chapter? A chapter gives the impression it's a different entity, like a party within a party.

If it is to be multiracial, which according to Datuk Seri Azmin Ali (Bersatu's latest recruit) is the way forward, why not open its doors to non-Malays and non-Muslims into the party in its present form?

There is no need for a special chapter to cater specially for non-Malays. Apart from being a party within a party, the chapter reminds me of PAS Supporters Club although the Bersatu chapter accords full membership status. So we are told thus far.

Anyway, what I am driving at is this. All three parties — Umno, PAS and Bersatu — are predominantly Malay-Muslim and are components of Muafakat Nasional, or MN.

Granted what they have been doing and intending to do is for political expediency, what is their stand on the non-Malays, political mileage notwithstanding?

When Umno and PAS signed the pact to form MN, the basis of the alliance was (I believe still is) what they claimed to be "perpaduan ummah" or unity of the Muslim community.

Before Bersatu was officially accepted into MN, leaders of Umno and PAS made some interesting remarks.

For example, PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said Bersatu's move to join MN is good for Islam and the Malays.

According to Takiyuddin, Bersatu can help MN to realize "its primary goal of championing Islamic affairs and matters concerning bumiputras".

Nonetheless, Umno leader Tan Sri Annuar Musa said MN is not Malay-centric but is looking to "recruit multiracial parties" into its fold. That would fit in nicely with Bersatu's narrative in having a non-Malay chapter. But Annuar's statement was made before the Bersatu idea was announced.

At the time of writing, Umno and PAS have yet to react to Bersatu's non-Malay chapter plan.

A day after Annuar's "MN not Malay-centric" remarks, Takiyuddin came up with his statement to say that the combination of Malaysia's three Malay-based parties under a single umbrella would allow the informal pact to intensify its efforts on matters related to Islam, the Malay/bumiputra community and topics generally important to the country.

And said Takiyuddin, "PAS is also confident that the Umno-PAS-Bersatu combination will not only create a 'Melayu Raya' caucus but also strengthen Malaysia's communal structure as a multiracial, multireligious and multicultural country, as laid out by its laws, history and common experience".

That, to me, is contradictory and mind-boggling. Hence, I concur with Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas that clarity is needed.

Writing in her column in FMT, the well-known academic said politicians need to clarify the concepts they highlight.

For the record, the Melayu Raya or Greater Malay concept was espoused by a group of Malayans and Indonesians in the late 1940s.

According to Wikipedia, it was a political concept that sought to bring the "so-called Malay race, only part of which were the actual Malays, together by uniting the British territories of Malaya and Borneo with the Dutch East Indies (including Portuguese Timor) to become a large sovereign nation".

Veteran journalist Zin Mahmud puts it this way: "The Melayu Raya caucus currently promoted by PAS is run contrary to the noble objectives of the first all-Malay front which was brought to fore in 1945 by (opponent to the British colonial government) Ibrahim Yaacob who founded Kesatuan Melayu Muda."

The mantle said Zin was later taken up by Burhanuddin Al Helmy who went on to helm PAS after his incarceration under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"The PAS version of Melayu Raya of 2020 is solely about Ketuanan Melayu or Malay Supremacy in the country. On the other hand, the Melayu Raya 1945 struggle was about fighting for equality for all people across Southeast Asia", according to the veteran journalist.

Melayu Raya apart, MN's policy for non-Malays itself needs a lot of explanation, to say the least.

As it is, many non-Malays are in the dark, or to put it lightly, confused.

I don't blame them, because I, too, feel the same way. And, I am Malay.

(Mohsin Abdullah is a veteran journalist and now a freelancer who writes about this, that and everything else.)